


That's enough for now

by anassa_anemou



Category: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Fusion, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Surgery, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-07
Updated: 2013-09-06
Packaged: 2017-12-25 20:55:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/957503
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anassa_anemou/pseuds/anassa_anemou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>X-Men Reverse Bang Story - you can find the bang <a href="http://xmenreversebang.livejournal.com/">here</a> at livejournal.</p><p>Prompt 2004 - The mansion is attacked and Charles manages to protect the children but is captured by Stryker. His level of telepathic powers was something Stryker could never recreate and he plans to use Charles as the base for his perfect soldier. He starts the process by melding Logan's DNA with Charles to heal his legs. </p><p>Art by Chosenfire28</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Chosenfire](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chosenfire/gifts).



> Hopefully this turned out ok, it was a bit if a struggle and I'm open to criticism, specially since is my first time around writing action. 
> 
> Beta-ed by the awesome u_evangeline that always saves me.

Charles isn’t sure where he is, he can’t hear anything, be it in his head or normal sounds coming from his ears, and he can’t move from the floor, his legs useless and his arms bound with something he can’t see in the darkness. He won’t let himself panic, but it’s seems he has to wait and see what is happening. His eyes are hurting, and it’s the first time Charles realizes he didn’t open his eyes yet, neither did he move his body, any part of it.

 

One big breath in, one big breath out, one big breath in, one big breath out. Charles counts in his head ten breathings and relax his neck, trying to turn his head to the side, trying to see anything around him. One tiny move to the side and his head is crossed by an awful pain, his eyes are still hurting and his neck tenses more. Charles stops, and tries to take a big breath again, the air doesn’t seems to be enough, so he tries again and there is pain coming from his chest now, his lungs refusing to take the air and his heady starting to get dizzy.

 

He wonders if Alex, Hank and Sean are somewhere here with him, he hopes not, but maybe if one of them is near they can see he is awaken and possibly can tell him what is going on; he tries to remember, but his thoughts are scrambled, they don’t seem to come back to place. He has to breath, big breaths and calm down, he can’t panic.

 

The floor is cold and his mind keeps spinning, he only knows something cold is beneath, but is it the floor or maybe a litter? In the hospital the litter was made of steel, very cold and solid. He tries to move his head again, but his eyes hurt more and the pain spreads to all his skull. He still can’t hear anything, no thoughts or sounds. He breaths in and out, a big breath once again, his lungs still don’t seem to work properly, it hurts.

 

There is a pressure in his skull, he can feel it now, it’s in the center of his forehead, it never was his eyes, it’s just above. It hurts, he wants to scream, but it gets stuck in his throat: he can’t swallow, it’s all dry, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts.

 

One breath, two breaths, short breaths to try and put some air in his lungs. He can’t feel his legs, and he remembers he’s been in the chair for over a year now, where is it? Maybe Hank took it to the lab to work on it again or maybe Sean is playing with Alex in the hall, racing to see who is faster in it. But they only do that when Charles is reading in the library and in one thought they bring it back to him. Why can’t him feel them?

 

His eyes, no his forehead is still hurting, it’s like something is being shoved through it, a liquid? No, why would Hank give him medicine in his skull? Maybe is a headache, he been having them with his power getting more expressive and the hours he been pulling in the new installed Cerebro aren’t helping.

Wait! He found a distress call, many mutants trying to contact someone, ask for help. But why is he here alone, didn’t the boys started planning to find the other mutants? He can’t be in his bed resting, the floor or the litter is hard and cold, his bed has luxurious sheets Alex teases him about it, just because they are red and black, and not bland white. Focus, Charles!

Mutants, oh, they are kids and one of them is Alex brother, Scott. Hank managed to locate them, and they were going to fly in the jet, but them...Oh bloody hell, the Mansion was attacked before then, they stunned the boys. Is he in the captors’ hands? It still hurts, but Charles concentrates, he needs to find something, he needs to open his eyes and see where he is. One breath, two breaths and the pain continues to come, he is nauseated and if he manages to turn his head he is sure the muffins will end up in the floor. Three, when he opens his eyes it’s all blurry, lights dance in his field of vision and there is something really close to his face: he closes his eyes again and opens it one more time, blinks until he can see the ceiling, which is old and rusty, why the hell people would kidnap him and bring him to this lair?

He can see needles piercing his head, something is holding him to bed and there are people in white surrounding him, they don’t seem to be thinking or least he can hear their thoughts. He can listen, now, to the first sounds, things being broken, smashed, until a woman screams, and it pierces through the air hurting him: the silence from before making it even louder.

The needles are moving from his face, it’s an agony to see them go, and a relief, he never dealt well with things prodding him. There is movement around him, people tense, he can feel it, not their thoughts, never their thoughts, but a good share of them trying to understand if the approaching noise will stop them or not. The woman is still screaming and the noise is growing, which makes the people around him pull the equipment faster from him.

There is a man approaching the table and his eyes are of a deep and warm chocolate brown, they are hurt, agonizing just like Erik’s used to, before they hardened to cold. Charles looks straight to the man, that now hovers over him, he silently tries to ask for help, focusing as much as he can, trying to force his head to send a message, any signal for help. “Please, please.”

“Without shouting, bub, I’m taking you, after all I wouldn’t leave you here when it’s not the first time you want me to help you.”

Charles tries to move so he can watch the man or see if there is a way for him to help, but he can see the large and feral mutant grabbing before he can summon energy to warn him. The movement to the side, trying to watch the fight unfolding, sends pains all through his nerves, weirdly he can feel his toes: _I must be getting crazy!_

There is a crash and Charles tries to pay attention, the first man, the one that was going to help him is all bloodied and Charles wonders how much time passed from the time the other mutant got here until he managed to turn back his attention. His mind keeps doing tricks and it’s hard to see who is winning. If the man dies, Charles is sure the other one won’t help him, he remembers his smirk, he is the man behind Charles kidnapping, or at least is not in his side.

He hears a roar and is startled to notice the man is the one gutting the mutant with steel claws, he didn’t get a read he was a mutant too. He thinks Erik would find it extraordinaire, a mutation that allows metal to spur from one’s hands; but Charles shouldn’t be thinking about him, he has to concentrate and get the hell out of here. Hank and the other are probably mad with worry, he hopes they aren’t coming for him, they can’t possibly come alone.

“Come on, bub, focus! Don’t let this fuckery get to you, your blue friends is going to kill me if I let you here.” Charles can see the man realizing him, did Hank contacted him? But how did Hank know such a man? He said Charles asked for his help before, did he psy-screamed for him while they ran the tests?

Somewhere in his mind, as the man starts to cut the leather binding him to the table, he can see a seedy bar, him and Erik grinning to a man drinking his beer; Charles thought he was handsome, a bit gruffly around the edges, but good looking never the less, the sideburns and the assertive way he send them away made Charles feel a certain frisson. And now he is here, looking at you with a smirk as if he could figure your thoughts, even if you can’t even hear him telepathically.

“I said Focus! You need to push your legs and help me out, or it will be harder to drag you out, I’m still healing, and for such a small kid, you sure are heavy.” Charles looks startled, the man voice is at his ear, rogue and low, making the hair at the back of his ear get up.

“I...I can’t...they…” Charles tries to speak, but his voice is raspy and the dryness he felt earlier seems to lock his tongue.

“Sure you can, whatever Strike did to you, it fixed the legs, now push and let’s get out of here.” Charles panics, trying to move from the man, his legs aren’t working, and this man needs to stop kidding with him. Charles comes to reality with a large hand holding his chin thigh and he realizes the man got him bridal-style in his arms. “Look, Chuck, man up, we don’t have time for panicking, the man behind this was experimenting in a lot of people, we need to get the hell out of here, so you can go back to your friends and I leave all of this behind. So you are going to be quiet and look behind my shoulder, any signal of movement warn me. ”

Charles look beyond the man’s shoulder and tries to focus, his mind it’s still fuzzy, but he thinks he can hear whispers, definitely people thinking not far from where they are. He tries to reach them, to understand what they are saying, shouting really, to his mind. The man walks slowly to the door, trying to keep steady paces and not juggle him, Charles thinks it’s because of his injuries, there is blood all over the man’s shirt.

_Please, are you there, you told me you were going to come for us, please!_

_Please, are you there, you told me you were going to come for us, please!_

_You told us you would bring help!_

_Of course you lied, people never help if they don’t get something out of it._

_Please!_ _Please..._

_Don’t leave us here! They will kill us._

“We have to get back...there are kids there, they need our help.” Charles murmurs, coughing and trying to bring the man’s attention back to him. “We can’t leave them here.” 

“I’m going to take you out and them we are going to come back when you aren’t bleeding out on me. Your friends can help.” The man grits and Charles realizes he is white, looking like death and trying to hold on.

No one is following them and Charles sees a man in his head, smirking. There is so much blood in his clothes, and the creepy mutant is by his side, growling something Charles can’t understand. And it makes sense, they are leaving not because it’s was easy, but because the man got what he wanted already. Whatever he did to Charles, he got what he wanted. Charles lets himself get carried away, he needs to think strategically: if he rests, there is a bigger chance of helping the kids, and he needs to find Hank; right now he isn’t thinking if this man is really on his side, his mind is still jumping all over the place.

_At least I heard the kids, it means my power is coming back._


	2. Chapter 2

When Charles wakes up this time, it’s to see a blurry blue very close to his face, and he is glad to notice as he blinks his vision clears until he sees Hank frowning face. He can feel his mind, which is a relief, and, if he focuses, there are three other minds in the building. The yellowish thoughts, that seem blurry, are Sean’s, and Charles thinks he is probably asleep, because Alex mind is a rush of worry, help, Charles, and we saved him, and there is the man that saved him, smirking at him from the other side of the room, and Charles finds intriguing how a mind can focus in an emotion so well, instead of broadcasting all of their thoughts as Hank’s medical ramblings or Alex worry.

“I’ll be fine, Hank, will you give me some space and let me breath? I feel like I was poked enough on that god awful place.” Charles can hear the man deep chuckle reverberating in the room and wonders if it is only him that can hear it like that or to other it has the same spine thrilling effect.

“Charles! I need to see which are the damages, we can’t take you to a hospital without calling attention and I don’t want a repeat...” Hank cuts himself abruptly and stands back, and while Charles is grateful for the space, the memories of being stranded on the island come rushing back to him. He will never be able to look at any beach at the same way.

“He is fine, bub. A bit shaken, but all in its place, or almost.” The man smiles crookedly and swirls his hand in the air and if Charles wasn’t feeling a bit groggy he would flip the bird and tell the man he was the crazy one.

“And how do you know that, Logan? Are you a doctor, a nurse? Does your mutation do an x-ray to know there isn’t any damage?” Hank is shouting and Charles wished he would lower the volume, while he is feeling better; the headache can come back any moment.

“I would smell hurt and I can say besides a minor migraine and some sweat from the adrenaline, he is pitch perfect, including his legs.” Charles pushes himself from the bed with both arms and looks at his legs; it’s not the first time the man said he could move them. At the facility he assumed the man didn’t know he was paralyzed from the waist down, but now, seeing as he knows Hank and Alex, there is a safe bet he knew of it. “Wiggle your toes, princess, I bet they are as cute as the rest of you.”

Charles ignored the jibe and keeps looking at his legs, with one pull, the blanket resting above him falls to the floor and he can finally see his whole body. He takes a big breath and closes his eyes, before thinking of moving his toes, of making them bend and come back; the gasp from his own mouth matches Alex voice, when he finally feels the toes meeting the sole of his feet.

“Professor.” Charles opens his eyes to see Alex closer to the bed, one hand just above his right foot, waiting for consent. When he nods, Alex caresses the arch and then tickles it, grinning when Charles’s knee jumps in reflex.

“What the hell did they do to you?” Hank’s eyes are huge, but he is smiling and coming near the bed again to touch just above his left knee, in a comforting manner.

“They probably injected my DNA in him. My secondary mutation is self-healing. ” Charles looks back at Logan, and sees his eyes down, as if he only remembered where they’d been a few hours before, and he remembers the woman yelling, is her the woman being projected in Logan’s mind?

“We should let you rest, Charles. Alex will bring you something to eat, while I go test the blood I took earlier, we need to be certain you are ok and then, we still have to think about the children. So far they didn’t make any moves, or so it seems, I’m sure they don’t have telepaths on their side to divert our attention. ”

With that, Hank moves out of the room, pulling a reluctant Alex with him, when Charles own euphoria diminishes, he takes another look at the man that saved him and wonders what other secrets he hides, since his mind is perfectly blank right now and he can still feel his friends in the other rooms.

“I should finally thank you for taking me with you, I believe neither one of the boys would leave unscathed if they tried.” Charles starts, unsure of how to act around this man, he believes whatever was done to him is still messing with his senses.

“There isn’t anything to thank me, I was going there anyway and your kids helped me get there. The blue one flies like a madman, but does the job well.” Logan says it casually, as if it was a normal occurrence of his life to enter shady places for some adventure. Charles picks confusion and mourning from his mind, not all clear, but enough to know his careless words don’t match the turmoil inside of him.

“You know I’m a telepath.” Charles waits for the nod to come, before continuing, as much as he wishes to be gone from this place, there are still the children, and he feels as if Logan, whoever he is or wherever is the place he came from, is a man that appreciates the truth laid bare. “I swore not to enter one's mind, uninvited, if not it is not in danger or if they will cause danger to me or mine, so I want to reinforce I’m not reading your mind specifically, but what you are broadcasting.” Charles waits for something to come out of the man, any sign he understands, but his face continues to be blank and the few emotions he was feeling before seem to be cut or pulled back. “I said that to make this conversation clear, I don’t wish you to feel as if I’m being rude or not that I don’t trust you...”

“You shouldn’t trust me, what if I’m working for Striker? What if he let us go, so I can get your brain machine and find the mutants he wants?” Logan cuts him and approaches the bed, his claws sliding between his fingers and moving to rest above Charles throat.

Charles doesn’t think, his legs fly from bed, uncoordinatedly, but hitting Logan all the same, making him lose balance and topple back from the bed. Charles breaths hard as the adrenaline pumps through his veins, it’s so good to use his lower body again. He lays back until his whole body is lying flat again in the bed and just breaths in and out, letting himself enjoy the pleasure of seeing his legs in action again.

“I’m not useless just because I’m in this bed, I wasn’t useless in the chair and I won’t be useless in any time in the future, doesn’t matter what happens. I’m extending a hand to you, not friendship, because that is something you yarn, but close, a sense of kinship for our conditions and because we got from there alive, but I won’t be treated as a weakling.” Charles wants to scream at him, make him understand the frustration that rose in him as the pleasure diluted itself in anger for being dismissed.

“Huh, feisty, I like it. If Striker had gave you the adamantium claws, I bet you would pick them in no time.” Logan smiles dangerously to him, it’s a distraction, Charles knows well: Erik would smile and redirect the conversation, doubling his charms and bringing more sexual connotations to what he said, making Charles overlook the fact he wasn’t talking or letting Charles understand what had triggered the self-defense.

“You said this man’s name twice already, is he the one coordinating everything or he is just the base handler?” Charles remembers the cold smirk reaching his mind, he wonders if that was Striker. “Do you know who this Striker is?”

“I worked with him for some time, when I still believed you could work on the government side and have a meaning. I followed Victor, the mutant I fought back at the base, and we joined a team of mutants and special agents. Striker was in charge of the team, each time taking us on shadier missions, until I had enough. Taking criminals out of the streets was fine, but when he terrorized innocent people to get what he wanted, without any motive to? I pulled out and went civil.” Logan takes a break and Charles can see how his claws seem to be shaking and ready to come back out. “He went looking for me, wanted me back, saying Victor went rough and started attacking the rest of the team. They forged the death of someone close to me, making me agree to an experiment, I got the adamantium claws and went after Victor. The whole time they were pulling me, making me follow, until I found a trail to this base and started looking.”

“That’s when we found him.” Alex enters the room, holding a tray with steaming soup and bread, by the smell is the Summers’ specialty. “Hank was trying to find you, using Cerebro as radar, but with no luck. Sean and I tried to contact Moira, but she didn’t remember us, we had no idea you erased her memory.” Charles starts eating, not because he is hungry, but to not look at Alex’s accusatory face. “Mystique and Magneto never answered our call, but Hank talked with Azazel and he talked about others disappearing and how Magneto had been trying to track this man, Gambit.”

Alex stops for a moment and pulls a chair from the small table Logan had been leaning so far. Charles continues to eat, as Alex explains they found Logan fighting with Gambit and how they offered the new jet as transportation, because they couldn’t trust Remy would fly in safety and they needed more information on the base, to plan the evacuation.

“Hank worked the coordination’s with what Gambit told us and researched the government database for facilities that matched the buildings and things he had seen. Hank wanted to go in, but Logan thought it was best if he went alone, they don’t know we are here, even if they know someone flown in and out of the base to drop Logan and then to get you guys back. ” Charles looks up to see Alex staring at Logan, as if challenging him to say anything else; Charles feels a rush of love for the boy, it’s a strange feeling, it reminds him of the first time he met Raven: Alex is no longer a pupil or even one of his kids, he is as much as a brother as Charles will ever get, especially after Raven left.

“If Striker is with the government, do you think I could reach Moira’s mind and look deeper into what are his plans?” Charles looks at Alex and sees his frown, they never talked about how Moira was wiped of memories.

“I think it is a safe bet that he wants to make weapons, the perfect soldier, or better the perfect machine he can control. You are not the only one he was in-fusioning powers, Chuck.” Logan tosses the nickname careless, as many of his words are and, strangely, makes him giddy with excitement.

“So he is interested in my powers, giving me your healing ability is one way of making me whole again.”

“You weren’t broken, Charles! How many times I have to say that.” It’s the first time they realize Hank is standing just outside and, for Charles, is a sign of, whatever Striker did, he managed to put a shield between other thoughts and his: he can listen if he focus, but the constant murmur from other minds is gone.

“Alright, Hank, calm down. I just meant he fixed my legs and put some sort of shield around my power, I can, for once, switch on and off. We will probably have more surprises, I don’t think he gave just two powers to work with, is more probable he injected other handy things in my brain or that was the plan.”

They all consider this for a second, it was likely Striker would plan other additions to Charles besides healing his legs and the possible shield in his mind. If he wants weapons, they need to last, so any sort of endurance or defensive power could be in the man’s plans. He thinks he would like to fly, Angel was beautiful with her wings and he felt great pleasure when Sean used his banshee scream to fly around the property; he would be endless grateful for the moments of freedom experienced in Sean’s mind.

“We will discuss that later, now we need to form a plan to rescue the children. They are probably expecting us, the feelings that Striker was transmitting are in no way comforting, if he is still on the base is because he knows it will be hard to move everyone so fast and into another facility that has the same obscurity as this one has. I picked another man that seemed to want to shut the whole experiment down, so maybe, if the big shots in the military want it wiped, Striker may not have a chance to move somewhere else.”

“And if he was experimenting on more people, he certainly has people to protect the place besides the regular dumb agents.” Alex shifted, looking into Hank’s direction and Charles picked the silent conversation easy enough, they were worried whether he would manage a mission so soon, if his legs would be operative after months without use.

Charles was surprised to note an underlying current to them, something protective rolling not in his direction, but to each other. He wondered if his time under Striker facility made Hank and Alex closer, not with usual stiff camaraderie, but something warmer and blooming. They may not be conscious about it yet, but Charles could pick their feeling well enough, again he wondered what powers he had gained, maybe empathy was a new one.

“You need to rest, Charles. Wolverine, Alex, Sean and I can very well start planning a new strategy and you will help out when you have more energy. Don’t think I don’t see how your eyes are twitching and you fingers are fisting the sheets: it’s the exhaustion dropping again and perhaps a migraine you are pretending not to have.” Hank moved closer to Alex, both leaning now against the door, Logan had shifted to look at them and Charles could see a smirk forming there too; he didn’t know all of Logan’s powers, but maybe he could pick the little sign as well.

“Rest, pretty boy, a few hours won’t make a difference. Striker is not dumb, and he still has Victor on his side to tattle my strategies. We can’t go in and out like we did, so this needs to have a fallback plan, not for me or for you, but because we need to move the children fast, Striker will use them as bullet stock, even if it is just to distract you and he probably put triggers in you. There is a good possibility you will change sides before all this is done or I won’t be able to save my ass or yours and don’t get me wrong, I ain’t going nowhere with one of the kids, though you are still a kid yourself.”

“Just because you are an old fart, doesn't mean I’m young or that I didn’t see and do things that made me grow up. Go them, I will rest for a bit and check if Striker put any trigger on me, we can discuss things in two hours.” Charles stopped Hank from speaking, raising a hand. “We don’t have much time, gather all you can, see if Sean is feeling better and start prepping things. I can rest when we move the children.” Charles looked at Logan’s inquiring glance and closed his eyes, they would still throw many nicknames and insults before this was done, but Charles was going to have fun: he still loves how people are thrown by this personality once they meet him.


	3. Chapter 3

Hank was worried and Charles could understand why, is not like he can see how their plan isn’t solid and the possibilities of going wrong are immense. Logan has abilities that guarantee resilience and he seems mostly on board with what they decided, but he can dwell much on why he is helping them at all: Kayla, now Charles has a name for the woman in his mind, is dead, and they have to deal with Victor, who only now they learned is Logan’s last family alive.

He can identify with that, Raven is his sister, she is the only one he will call family, even if Hank, Sean and Alex were getting closer and closer to him. Victor is in Logan’s memories both good and bad, someone he used to lean on and someone he isn’t sure won’t kill him. He believes Raven wouldn’t choose to hurt him, but Charles can be sure that one day, being in the other side of a fight, she won’t make a decision that ends up with him hurt or possibly dead.

They didn’t really talk about Victor or Kayla, for the matter Logan stayed quiet while Alex and Hank outlaid the entrances and the possibilities. They had to enter and unlock the children. It wasn’t as if Charles had been searching for it, but the images were being pushed against him, as soon as he realized how much was being shut from him; it’s only now, that he has shields made from whatever Striker merged into him, that he realizes how much he hadn’t been listening through the years, especially after Shaw’s death.

He feels himself almost floating while they turn around to move near the building, Logan is stretching out and trying to hear, no one seems to be around, which Charles knows it can be either good or bad. It’s weird to be back on his own two legs, one year without them had him almost forgetting how the floor feels on his feet, how the tiny rocks, brought by the wind, shuffle as he moves. His mind is open to hear anything in the inside, all bright images coming and fleeting as quickly as he can possibly conjure what they mean.

The building is empty as far as he can see, there isn’t much movement, but the minds are thinking and they are waiting for them. Logan is swept away from him, bullets are flying around and Charles hides himself behind a column. Sean and Alex are on the other side, the both of them waiting to help the children inside the jet, Hank is separating anything they may need to heal the injured and Charles has to think fast.

He decides to tap into the men on the top floor, is hard to keep a hold of so many minds at once, but the simple order to put their guns down is easy enough to be followed. He order them to get out of the building, to not stop walking until they are far away, to not come back or tell people the facility is being taken. He has to repeat it several times, his breathing coming in shorter bursts. Using so much power after surgery is not a good idea, but Charles doesn’t have time for this.

Logan is fighting Victor again, circling each other, using their hands and shoulders to try and bench each other, both of them snarling like animals, powerful. It’s a strange feeling to pick out the frisson that runs in Victor’s mind when he gets a blow and hurts Logan or how Logan is ruthless, even if his mind still reaching for his brother. Charles intervenes, trying to focus his attention back to the plan, and grips tightly at Victor’s mind, making him unconscious.

“You could have done that before, Chuck.” Logan is by his side almost instantly, eyes roaming, trying to see if he has any injuries.

“I’m not hurt and I had made the others go, you took one, I took thirty.” Logan smirks at him and shoves his shoulder, making Charles lose his equilibrium for a second, before turning his attention sharply to the side.

Coming to their direction is a man, if Charles could call him that. He is determined, just one message in his: _Kill the two mutants._ It’s Striker thought, not this man’s, is an order and Charles is still trying to catch the meaning of this when Logan shoves him back behind the column and jumps into the man. Charles breaths in and out, and dashes running to the other side, he has to free the kids and while Logan keeps the man at bay, he might get a chance.

He pushes the grilled doors and runs through a corridor, following the buzz of the children asking for help. Their minds work as a beacon, drawing him closer, without having to pay attention to where he is going. It sickens him to watch them behind bars, how some of them are crying and how they don’t know if he is friend or foe; many of them are here for trusting the wrong person, for believing a man in the Army would actually help them.

Charles bashes the button on the wall and approached with care the first cage, they are all locked still, so he imagines the button wasn’t what realized the locks. He doesn’t have any sort of weapon, not because they thought it was smart going clean, but because Charles was sure he wouldn’t be able to use it to his advantage. He looks around and there isn’t anything of help, so he focus in Striker’s mind, trying to evaluate his chances.

He can see Logan and the man fighting and Logan isn’t faring well, but he pushes the image way, he needs to take the kids out, then he can help Logan. Striker is focused in their movements, but part of him keeps checking the second monitor, seeing Charles progress. Before Charles can think of anything else, the locks explode and he gets a smile from Striker. So not only his telepathy had been worked with, he gained some sort of telekinesis.

A kid with a bandage in his eyes starts calling the other kids and slowly they fill out of the cages, rounding closer to each other, looking for safety. When Charles looks at the kid that took charge, he realizes two things: he is the persistent mind that contacted him in the first place and Alex will be stunned when he finds it’s his brother. He focuses again, looking one more time in Striker’s head and talks firmly with the children.

“We need to go, there are friends of mine waiting outside of the building, we are going to take you to some place save and then we’ll find your families. I need you to trust me and I understand if you feel wary, but we don’t have time.” Scott, Alex’s brother nods and starts pulling the kids along, as Charles moves quickly to the door in the other side of the room.

To say he is relieved when he sees Sean’s face in the other side is an understatement. They move fast through the tunnels, Charles in front of them and Sean at the rear. It’s a quick work and he appreciates the cold night air when they reach Alex and Hank. He sees from the corner of his eyes, Alex gripping Scott’s hand, holding him close, while Hank and Sean usher the other kids in. At least one good thing has happen - Charles thinks as he goes back into the tunnel, mind already reaching for Logan.

 _The kids are safe, I’m coming back for you and Striker._ It’s easy to come back, and, even easier is to stop Striker, while Logan, now with an advantage, claws the mutant he’s been fighting to the floor.

Charles can feel the pain in the mutants mind, his skin and cells trying to heal around Logan’s claws and Striker rage as he watches the scene. He lets Striker mind go and focuses it in the mutant, trying to shift his conscious, finding almost nothing there, only triggers and orders. He has to lean against the wall, focusing all his power to stop the mutant, he will obey Striker’s orders, but it isn’t as easy with commands for somebody else.

When he feels the gunshot, he realizes he been sure, arrogant, in his new abilities, and Striker had known. He is not the one wounded, Logan is, but he feels it in every fiber of his body and he uses it, to grip tighter on the mutant, to make him grasp Striker throat. He feels the life leaving the man, he feels the mutant reaping his own head. The ground connecting with his cheek is the last feeling, as he looks at Logan’s crumpled body in the floor.


	4. Chapter 4

Charles feels as if he could sleep for a month or, sometimes, he wishes he could take a vacation, be far away from everything, relax and set his mind in mundane things. Right now, any plans are stupid and useless, Logan is slowly healing and Charles is learning how to walk, and run and exercise his legs.

There are the children as well, roaming through the Mansion, waiting for the response of Charles's calls; there is still hope that the parents will come. It hurts him to see the hope losing itself in doubt, his own mind seeing their memories: a few abandoned, others orphans, others abused and hiding, many broken and alone. Alex and Scott trying to mend their relationship, the older boy teaching the young how to control his beams, how to use the glasses Hank made. Charles looks fondly as Hank pushes a uniform to Scott, afraid the boy will lash, but Scott smiles timidly and Alex laughs at the both of them.

At the fifth day, Logan wakes up for more than a few minutes, Hank is pulling the meds, all of them afraid of the man; he doesn’t seem to remember they are not enemies. To think, and Charles had been anguished, he thought Logan would be an ally, someone they could count on. It’s hard to find adult mutants willing to help, when many of them are in Erik’s side or just hiding.

When they flew in, leaving the base behind, Charles had felt such a relief, succeeded by panic when Logan started to trash in the medical bindings, his mind confused and angry, little to nothing of memories of what had happened. So Charles sent a wave of calm, serenity and impulses that would put an elephant under, showing the children everything was in control, and Hank flew even faster back to the Mansion.

At Hank’s laboratory, they drugged him, hoping to understand the damages made to his brain, trying to see if Charles could set him back, but it was like an even heavier barrier was standing between them, and Charles got sick to the point of throwing up when he got exposed for long. They kept trying, pulling the drugs, and letting Charles do the contact, once he had tried while Logan was still drugged, but Charles had migraines and nosebleeds.

It was still hard to measure his new powers, to one side, they were more in control, only reading minds when Charles wanted, the undercurrent of thought minor and only focused when the danger or fear were picked one the frequency; in the other side, his range was harder to control when he switched on, and while he worked on Logan, he could pick up all of the children , and Hank, Sean, Alex, he could even pick people passing through the railroad.

During the night, his mind applied from him, visiting his neighbors, and something reaching, and something reaching beyond; one or two times he thought he heard Raven in her own troubled sleep; he was certain he didn’t reach Erik because the man continued to use that vile helmet.

“I think he is pulling through this time, with half an hour and his pressure is still stable, are his brain waves normal?” Hank pulled Charles of his thoughts.

“He is sleeping, not a deep sleep, but definitely no longer in coma or in the drug’s effects.” Charles moved from the counter where he had been sat, to stand beside Logan’s head his finger touching his forehead lightly.

“A few images, nothing as complex as dreams, I think he might be remembering snippets of his past.”

“Ok, I’ll continue to monitor his pressure, we’ll see if he wakes up on his own, in the next two hours, if not I’ll pump some adrenaline.” Hank’s hand moved to adjust the pads, when Logan’s hand flew in a rapid movement stopping him.

“Who are you? What are you doing?”

“Logan, listen to me, we aren’t going to hurt you, I’ll explain everything to you, but you need to calm down.” Charles puts a hand to Logan’s shoulder and lets his words sink in. “My name is Charles Xavier and you helped me escape a government facility that was experimenting on mutants. Later we went back to save the children, and I killed the men holding them.”

“I don’t remember, I don’t know you and stop making that fucking voodoo with my mind.” Logan growled at him, but Charles set his hand at Logan’s shoulder, squeezing it.

 

“You are free to go at any time you wish, we were trying to understand what was the extension of the damage made to your brain. The man I killed, Striker, shot you, and you healed fine on the outside, but your brain suffered changes.” Charles maintains his eyes in Logan’s and relaxes his hand. “You will be fine, Logan.”

 

Charles signaled Hank in his mind and he started releasing the cuffs and the machines connected to him. After that, Hank stepped away from the table and moved in the door’s direction, thinking loudly of how much of an idiot Charles was. Logan for his part, jumped from the table and looked around, Charles knew he was trying to see possible escapes and if Charles presented a danger to his escape.

 

“As I said before, you are free to leave, but I would like to extend my hospitality to you. The Mansion is big, the children would be safer with you here and I would like to try and help you remember, if you allow me.” Charles moves from the door line, making it clear Logan can leave at any moment.

 

“If I stay, what will you want in return?” His eyes squinted and Charles caught himself thinking if he smiled, the crinkles in his eyes would be even more beautiful.

 

“I’m the one owing you, remember. You saved my life and helped me, going back when you didn’t need, to save the children. My house is open for you, for any time you need or want, and even if you do decide to leave, anytime you wish, you may come back and the door will be open for you.” Charles turned his back and walked away, calling from the door. “If you decided to stay, choose an empty room and it’s yours.”

++

Charles tries not to pry or hear, and his new shields hold tight, sometimes he feels alienated from the others and it’s like someone slaps him in the face, telling him how stupid he is for never realizing how much he relied in his power to connect with people. He knows Logan stayed, at least for the night. He also knows he ate at the kitchen, forcing the food down, not looking at anyone else, but knowing what they were doing nevertheless.

 

The children look at him with respect, their eyes shining with admiration for someone that helped save them and Charles smiles at the shy looks and how they don’t touch or speak, sensing Mr. Logan needs his time to think. Alex had said they were all weird, too silent, and herded them all to the grass, making them play, in the dark, until he could hear giggles and shouts. Charles smiled from the window of his room; the sound is one he never thought to have in the Mansion.

 

When he joins everyone at breakfast and Hank offers him a tiny smile as he dishes pancakes to all the hungry mouths, Charles thinks that’s what they been missing, a trough purpose beyond checking Magneto’s steps, without staying hours in Cerebro and forgetting how good is to eat greasy bacon and too sweet syrup. Logan doesn’t say much, his posture is always ready to bolt, but Charles can be patient. After breakfast he goes out with Sean and they manage to buy half a market in food and beddings, child appropriate and not adult-cream as Sean reminds him; toys and common medicines are added to the shopping list and they buy notebooks and crayons and so many other things, Charles doesn’t even believe it all fits in the cars they drove.

 

It’s all worth it, when he sees the children peeking at them, avid to have nice things. They huddle them all in the live room and put the food at the kitchen, so Hank can organize how to divide things between them and they are all surprised when Logan gives a very easy plan.

 

“Let them choose the sheets and clothes and put the toys and art things at one place, that way they can share and no one will be short on anything” And Charles does as he says, smiling wider as Hank complains to the side.

 

At night, when he is walking slowly in the garden, he senses a presence in the trees; he doesn’t startle, just keeps walking, until Logan jumps by his side and joins him in the languid pace. It’s a cold night and Charles is only wearing a light cardigan, but he doesn’t mind much, his legs, are almost burning, even if it’s not even close to the pace he used to have, but he figures it will take a good time before it happens.

 

“What can I do?” Logan says gruffly and Charles makes a inquiring sound, which follows with Logan asking what can he do to earn his keeping.

 

“If I tell you nothing, that you did enough, I feel you will jump in the threes and disappear, so I’m going to lay some options, things Hank and I can’t do, or just won’t have the time and you can let me know tomorrow which one you prefer.” Logan nods and Charles turns to sit at a bench, waiting to speak, only after Logan sits. “Hank and I’ll share most of the school subjects, just because we don’t really mind doing the boring things. Sean will deal with the food, and any shopping we need, because he can look like a normal teen, and he can drive, something he been asking for quite a while. Alex is contacting people to try and find the parents, reading all the data we can find, and staying with the children the rest of the time. So, you can help him find the parents, or go swimming with the kids or staying with them a few hours in the art room or doing sports, teaching them how to manage their powers.”

 

“I’m not good with children and I won’t handle the bullshit the parents will give.” Logan smiles sharply and Charles smiles to himself, he knew the man wouldn’t want any of it.

 

“You can help Hank them, we want to make a room for training, I bet you have good ideas for simulations and insights of what we should be aware, the skills to teach them, a good survivor program. Before you say you don’t have your memories, I can see you have good instincts, and logic, even if you lost a good share of your memories.” They kept in silence while Logan pondered his words and once again Charles chose to leave him with his thoughts.

++

“You should stop leaving me behind every time, Chuck.” Charles looks up from the documents in his desk and is startled to see Logan without a shirt, pajama pants low in his hips. He looks fuckable, and Charles has to grip the desk to keep the calm facade.

 

He seen how handsome Logan had been when he first saw him, but there is something dirty at seeing him, like this, in his office, at night, with almost nothing to wear, both of them fighting the sleep. It’s exciting and Charles holds onto the feeling, he needs to feel like this again.

 

“I leave you so you can think.”

 

“You leave me because someone was a dick to you and you are afraid everyone will leave you behind first.”

 

When Logan turns around and leaves him, Charles takes a big breath and closes his eyes; it’s not fair to keep holding tight to Erik memory, so he does one last check, to see if he can reach the man, and he hits the always there barrier, he smiles tightly. It’s time to move on.

 

He runs to the door and when he opens, Logan is resting against it, smoking, his eyes drawn shut, just waiting for him to get close and scream. And Charles wants to say the smell is horrible and that he should be doing it on the outside, but he can’t, his eyes trail down.

 

“You like the view, Chuck?” If Charles had his eyes closed, he was sure he would hear the smirk that now was playing in Logan’s lips.

 

“I do, and I could almost make a better view in my room, but I think I’ll let you imagine it tonight and tomorrow, if you stay, I’ll you show you.” Charles laughs at Logan outraged face, but he closes the office door and turns to the corridor that will take him to his room. “I’m not leaving this time, I’m waiting for you to chase me.”

 

“Will be enough if I do a slow overview, promising to definitely putting you down in the end?” The wolfish grin in enough for Charles to want to jump him, but he just smiles, and turns around.

 

 _“That's enough for now.”_ Charles says quietly in Logan’s mind, smiling to himself. He is willing to wait for what is to come.

 

“It’s enough for me to stay for now too.” Logan says it at loud, but Charles can hear him well enough from the door of his room.

**Author's Note:**

> I'll probably add this to a series, because I want to do the bonus Chosenfire gave me, with jealous!Erik and more Logan/Charles friendship/more.


End file.
